In a distracted world where checking your social media feed is as common as checking the time, it seems increasingly difficult to take a moment for yourself, free of swipes and scrolls.
When it’s your job, it’s even more difficult to disconnect. So how can social media managers unplug and give themselves (and their eyes) a much needed break?
We hosted an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on our creative Slack community and asked this question to a few cutting-edge social pros. Here’s what they had to say:
Carina Petrillo, MTV
Social Media Coordinator
LinkedIn | Twitter
Unfortunately… I can’t say I ever “unplug.” Beyond my own @MTV Push notifications, I have several Twitter alerts set up for various talent to make sure I never miss a music video release / album drop / breakup … or celebrity sneeze. It’s taxing, so I do try to take a day off here and there to get my head out of my phone. Part of the gig, I guess!
Julian Valentin, Colorado Rockies
Director, Brand Management & Social Media
LinkedIn | Twitter
The 24/7/365 nature of digital/social jobs is truly one of the great challenges. I’m married (10+ years, my wife is amazing for putting up with me) with three kids (8, 5 and 3) and cover 162 games every season, except in 2020 of course. This year was “only” 60 games, but I was literally living out of a suitcase for three months straight; baseball trips are a week-long where other sports are typically a few days.
I have found that the only way to survive in sports is to 1) Truly love what you do and make sure you feel fulfilled in the work you’re doing and 2) You have to have full support and buy-in at home. My job has become so much better as my kids have gotten older and are now along for the ride as well. We have support at home with my mother in-law, who helps when I’m gone, but that full-family buy in helps with the understanding that the phone is going to have to be on during family dinners and holidays.
As we connected with 21 social media managers for their best advice for 2021, another social pro shared some great advice:
Sally Nicholson, The Moore Company
Listing Coordinator and Social Media Strategist
LinkedIn | Twitter
Maybe some unconventional wisdom for social pros but my tip would be to build in time for yourself to put the phone down, to go “off screen”. Sometimes the best ideas come when you’ve taken time to reset. It’s kind of like your computer, you can’t leave it on 100% of the time.
Social media is a loud place and consumer comments or criticism can sometimes seep into your personal life. Don’t let that happen.
I added the screen time widget to my home screen so I could be conscious of it daily!
What’s your go-to tip for taking a social media breather? Tweet at @psforbrands and let us know!
Question for the #socialmedia managers, digital #marketing professionals and content creators out there…
What do you do to unplug?#SocialPro pic.twitter.com/G6tZSTlC6x
— PhotoShelter for Brands (@psforbrands) October 22, 2020
Want to network with these social pros and hundreds more creatives? We’re hosting a virtual summit on November 19. Sign up for 20/21 Vision: The Strategy Summit by PhotoShelter and you’ll get access to our growing community on Slack. Stay tuned for our next live Q&A!
